Media's Take on the News: 3-12-03 to 4-24-03

When Mao Tse-tung swam the Yangtze at the age of 73, observers were amazed at
the speed he was travelling.

He was known for swimming the river but the film footage showed him cutting
through the water at remarkable pace for a man of his age. Photos from the same
day also raised suspicion as they appeared to show a detached head bobbing on
the water.

There were enough witnesses to authenticate it was the Chinese leader but there
is still debate among historians today about whether the video was altered to
make him swim faster or whether the government had frogmen in wetsuits and flippers
underneath towing him along.

The art of deception has been widely used to prop up ageing statesmen who want
to appear virile and has helped numerous leaders who were ill -- even dead --
give the impression they were still in command.

The Iraqi government's media campaign over the past two weeks has attempted
to show Saddam Hussein is alive despite American attacks on his bunkers, government
buildings and palaces. Saddam has appeared a number of times on state television
delivering speeches to the nation and meeting with senior aides and his two
sons, Uday and Qusay. In images shown yesterday of the 65-year-old dictator,
he is dressed in military uniform and is smiling and laughing.

Intelligence sources told CNN yesterday the government now believes all of
the footage of Saddam was taped before the war. Saddam is also known for using
doubles and the U.S. government has only confirmed it was genuinely Saddam in
one of his recent appearances.

The use of doubles and altered images dates back to ancient China. When Qin
Shihuang, the founding emperor of China, died there was concern that word would
leak out to the people, so one of his ministers placed his body in the state
carriage and continued to transport him through the streets, according to Chinese
historians. When his decomposing body began to smell, the minister arranged
to have another carriage of rotting fish placed behind the emperor and told
the people their leader had requested the smelly fish.

In 1556, when Humayun, a Mughal emperor in India fell down the stairs in his
library and broke his skull, it placed the empire in a very difficult position,
with demands that he be seen periodically. In order to allow enough time to
crown his child, who was to succeed him, officials placed a double of the emperor
in his cloak and hat, placed him at the top of the library and had him wave
to the people below.

One of the most famous wartime deceptions involved British General Bernard
Montgomery. In the run up to the Allies' invasion of Normandy in 1944, a double
of General Montgomery was used to throw off the Germans.

Joseph Stalin and Sir Winston Churchill were also known for using doubles,
often for security reasons.

In other cases, images have been altered to create certain impressions, particularly
during wartime. When Stalin gave his famous speech about resisting the Nazis
after Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, he was shown in Red Square delivering
his address. It was only later it was discovered he was actually in a studio
-- the image had been artificially altered.

When the Germans attacked, Stalin was taken by surprise and disappeared for
about six weeks; He had been admitted to a clinic because of a breakdown.

Even after Hitler committed suicide, rumours circulated for many years after
the war about what had happened to the Nazi leader.

John Ferris, professor of history at the University of Calgary, said governments
have often withheld information about a leader's health. Sir Winston had a stroke,
which was kept quiet, and John F. Kennedy was also much sicker than Americans
were led to believe.